Somersworth girls will emphasize defense in 2012-13

SOMERSWORTH — Don't expect the Somersworth High School girls basketball team to relax much this season. No team in Division III can really afford to do that.

“We're going to have to take every game as a very important game,” senior guard Erika Ducharme said. “We just have to take every game seriously. Some teams are more competitive than others, but we have to go into every game thinking it's going to be a competitive game.”

The Hilltoppers had an eye on this season as soon as last year's ended with a loss to Winnisquam in the D-III prelims.

“You always hope to do better,” said Hilltopper senior all-state guard Rachel Hill. “But we had a young team last year, one senior, so I think we were pretty much looking at the season ahead of us and to do better this year.”

Next year has arrived for the Hilltoppers, who are already off to a 2-0 start with wins over Gilford (51-47) and Farmington (51-30). Hill, who averaged 20-plus points per game as a junior, said that while the first two games weren't perfect outings for her team, there was a lot to be excited about.

“We need to work on our shooting, that's for sure,” Hill said. “But we worked hard on defense, so it kind of evens out. But a little better offense would definitely help us out.”

Indeed, Somersworth has struggled putting the ball in the net. In Tuesday night's game against Farmington, the Hilltoppers shot a woeful 2 for 21 from the field in the second quarter. Luckily, Somersworth's defense bailed it out.

Head coach Jeff Francoeur thinks his team's offensive struggles will be offset by a strong emphasis on defense.

“We've never been a really good shooting team,” Francoeur said. “We missed a lot of easy shots against Farmington, but we made up for it in a big way with our defense. And that was a big improvement over the Gilford game. We really picked up the pressure.”

Hill, Allie Francoeur, Ducharme and Miranda Gagnon are the team's senior leaders, and all are guards.

“I think we know the game so well and we love helping people, so that we're willing to do whatever it takes to step up and help our team,” Allie Francoeur said.

Coach Francoeur said his four seniors have earned the goodwill that comes with leadership.

“They're really, really good people,” he said. “They're great kids and I think the rest of the girls really respect them and are willing to follow them. They know they work hard and set a good example. They treat everybody the same way, whether they're freshman, sophomore, junior. They don't care.”

The Hilltoppers' success, especially on offense, will rely on Hill's ability to continue to put up big numbers. She is expected to score her 1,000th career point during the season and is already well on her way with 21 against Farmington and 29 against Gilford.

“She's the motor,” Francoeur said. “She doesn't quit. She just keeps going and going and going. It motivates the other girls. She gets the team going. When we're in a tough situation, she's the one who steps up on defense or on offense and does whatever we need.”

Hill has established herself as one of the top athletes in school history (she holds the state girls soccer record for most career goals with 151), and has earned the respect and admiration of her teammates.

“She's quick and fast,” Gagnon said. “If we can push on the floor, she helps us a lot.”

The Hilltoppers are deep off the bench. Ducharme will rotate in with the guards, along with freshman Emily Francoeur. Sophomores Maddie Osbon and Becca Laurion will rotate in at a number of different positions, usually in the post area.

What the Hilltoppers lack in size, Coach Francoeur hopes they can make up for with defensive pressure.

“It's not a big deal until you play a team that has a lot of size,” Francoeur said. “We try to play an up-tempo game, defensively oriented, try to pressure the guards and hide the fact that we're not big. If we can pressure the guards and make it difficult to get the ball into the post, then that's to our benefit.”